Friday, November 30, 2012

Every little bit helps!

In addition to yesterday's FB-blasted emergency cat post (which was retweeted by Neil Gaiman himself -- what a guy!), I've been making small contributions to multiple other charities and non-profits. 'Tis the season, after all! And even though I can't help everyone, or send as much as they need, my motto for the season is "Every little bit helps!"

Have a look, and maybe you will be inspired to help a little bit.

Project Night NightThe Bloggess brought this one to my attention. As a kid who loved a bedtime story, and an adult who thinks kids should be safe and happy, I found it easy to spring for one Night Night Package that includes a security blanket ("lovey"!), a kids' book, and a stuffed animal to comfort children living in homeless shelters.

DonorsChoose.orgI actually had some old gift codes sitting around from months ago; I realized I'd never used them and needed to fix that! I used 2 codes to help out a Spanish-immersion kindergarten that needs books and another class that needed a place to sit during read-aloud time. Then I sent codes to 3 friends who use DonorsChoose for their classes, their kids' classes, or just to be awesome. The projects I chose spoke to my love of books, of course, but there's a wide variety of causes represented, with just one overarching theme: schools are underfunded and need our help.

You can give for yourself or in honor/in memory of someone you know. You can buy gift cards and distribute them in stockings so that your recipients can choose their own projects to support. You can even find schools near you that need your support and contact them directly to see how you can help (this is great if you have time to spare but not a lot of cash). There are so many ways to give.

WikipediaAdmit it: you've seen the yellow banners that follow as you scroll down the page. (However, note that they don't obscure text, and you don't have to click them closed to read the page. Classy advertising!) Maybe you received an email, as I did -- I liked the humor of "We send two reminders per year. This is your first. Donate today, and we won't send you the second. ;-)"

I use Wikipedia almost every day. Maybe you do, too. Why not toss a few dollars their way and enjoy the benefits of almost-entirely-advertising-free info curated by humans who are often very passionate about their subjects? Hell, for frustrated copyeditors (*koff*), it's worth it just to be able to correct spelling and grammar errors on someone else's website. Keep Wikipedia free and free from ads!

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About Remy

I earned my Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the School of Information at San Jose State (SJSU). My dream is to work for a local public library, maintain a household with my wife and eventual children, and steward a Little Free Library with an emphasis on bilingual children's books. (3 for 4 so far.)